Monthly Archives: January 2019

As most of you who have visited the new Green Heart by now, will notice, a specially designed paving area has been created on the Green Heart bridge near Muirhead tower. Lots of people have asked what it’s for, so this blog explains all…

As you walk across the Pavegen system, the weight from your footsteps compresses electromagnetic generators below, producing 2 to 4 joules of off-grid electrical energy per step.

Each footstep generates between 2 to 4 joules of off-grid electricity, or up 7 watts of continuous power per person as they walk across a Pavegen walkway.

What does this mean in reality?

144 steps = 1 metre of a Nissan Leaf

1 x step = 1 x 3 watt LED light bulb for 1 second

1 step = 6 seconds’ talk-time on an iPhone 8

So where does the power go? This power generated will power the USB ports throughout the Green Heart which are located on the majority of the benches throughout the space. Pavegen anticipate that based on the length of the walkway and an expected daily footfall of 4,000 people, that the paving will generate 17 watt-hours per day. This is sufficient power to charge up to three smartphones per day.

Another note worth mentioning is that the power generated from the paving can store energy for when there is no footfall. This means that if you are charging or powering a laptop/phone the power will not suddenly stop if there are no pedestrians on that specific area.

This Pavegen system offers an eco-friendly solution to our ever-growing need for electronic devices and is an exciting new feature on the Green Heart. If you haven’t already, come and take a closer look and generate some power of your own.